DUAL COLOUR DEMAND FOR RESIDENCE 9

Residence 9 offers foiled dual colours as standard across the range, with options such as Eclectic Grey outside and life like English Oak on the inside helping to create the appearance of a composite window including through rebate foiling, yet with all the benefits of low maintenance PVCu.

With colour now accounting for over 35-40% of profile sales for the big systems companies, it is only thanks to the unique business model of The Residence Collection that they can offer dual colour combinations from Residence 9 stock, with outstanding OTIF capabilities.

While grained white internal finishes...

Crown Doors & Shutters chooses Exlabesa for iconic River Tees project

Crown Doors & Shutters has just completed the installation of curtain walling, windows and thermal door systems as part of the refurbishment and extension of the main Harbour Master’s office on the River Tees. Andrew Mersh from Crown said: “The office stands on one side of the iconic transporter bridge on the river Tees, which made this a particularly high profile project to be involved in.”

Crown Doors & Shutters won the contract thanks to their longstanding relationship with the project’s main contractor, Esh Construction. Crown chose to use Exlabesa products for the installation because the aluminium systems consistently deliver what is needed. Andrew commented: “We have been working with Exlabesa since 2012 and have gone from strength to strength using its systems. It has the same systems as the high end suppliers and they achieve the same outcome but are very competitive.”

Crown used Exlabesa’s ECW50 curtain walling system, KC75 window system and KTS thermal door on the project. All three offer the combination of benefits for which Exlabesa products are known: exceptional quality, stunning aesthetics, an impressive ability to meet and exceed standards for thermal efficiency, weather resistance and security all wrapped up in a system that is simple...

Haffner Murat sees dramatic rise in sales of the SMR-5 Welder

Haffner Murat has just reported a dramatic rise in sales of its SMR-5 welder. Haffner Murat’s Managing Director Dave Thomas said: “We’re delighted this five head welder is proving so popular. It is the fastest and most accurate welder on the market today and has been designed to add value to every fabricator’s set up.”

Just a quick look at the machine’s statistics demonstrate its power. In a single operation it can weld four squares. It’s also capable of welding two corner/transom/corner windows or one window and two sashes in a single operation. The timings are impressive too. It can weld five H welds in less than four minutes and change from corners to transoms in seconds. It all adds up to a machine that transforms speed and efficiency on the fabrication floor.

Modplan switches to Yale Flush Sash Shootbolt

Leading VEKA trade fabricator Modplan has announced it is upgrading its shootbolt locking system on its FlushSash window range to a dual cam shootbolt system. Both from Yale, Heidi Sachs, Managing Director of Modplan, said, “Whilst the current system has proven to be a robust and reliable product, the introduction of the Yale Flush Sash dual cam Shootbolt locking system offers all the security credentials you would expect and a brand name that gives added value benefits for our customers.”

The quality of the Yale Flush Sash dual cam Shootbolt locking system is evident from its features. The window...

Promotion at Distinction Doors

Distinction Doors has announced the recent promotion of Jane Wilson to Business Development Executive. Jane joined Distinction Doors three and a half years ago and her promotion reflects what she has achieved in this time.

Speaking on Jane’s promotion, Chantel Roach, Distinction’s Sales and Marketing Director said: “Jane is a well-known and appreciated member of our internal sales team and has real drive and focus on supporting our customers. As a business, we value our people and have a culture of rewarding excellence. Jane’s promotion reflects over three years of excellent work within our internal sales department and her passion and enthusiasm will be welcomed by our customers, both existing and new, in her new external sales position.”

In her appointment, Jane will be responsible for developing sales opportunities for Distinction’s range of composite doors with both existing and potential customers.

CEO LEAVES GGF IN STRONG POSITION

Phil Pluck, Group Chief Executive of the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) has announced his departure effective from 12th April.

Phil has overseen a substantial change programme at the GGF bringing together the commercial companies of GGF and its membership side. Having brought in a new senior management team as part of a complete re-structure programme, Phil issued the following statement:

“GGF Group is now in the best shape it has been for years and is ideally positioned to grow its influence and value to its members and...

Built By Us launches the SHAPE mentoring programme for built environment entrepreneurs

Built By Us (BBU), the social enterprise founded by Architect and FLUID founder Danna Walker to diversify the construction sector, has launched its SHAPE mentoring programme for built environment entrepreneurs, in response to demand from FLUID participants.

Designed specifically for entrepreneurs in the construction sector, SHAPE focuses on founders who are either pre start-up for within 3 years of start-up and engaged in craft, consultancy or the development of buildings, spaces and places.

Entrepreneurism is a key strategy for people of diverse backgrounds...

Selecta Introduce NEW 2018 Marketing Support Package

Birmingham based PVCu Window and Door System House, Selecta Systems, have introduced an all new marketing support package that consists of a set of marketing brochures and literature and Connect, a website based Selecta Support Centre for their ever growing fabricator and installer base. Marketing Manager, Mark Walker, explains what’s new and the idea behind the new marketing support materials.

“We launched a big and bold full product brochure just over 12 months ago, featuring 44 pages of stunning images and information relating to our full product range, titled ‘Your Home Made Beautiful’. The brochure has proved immensely popular and so following on from that success, we have now launched a series of supporting retail based 12 page mini-brochures, with one for each product. What this means is that the consumer now has more information and images from the product dedicated brochures, whilst our fabricators and installers have a professional and exquisite range of sales support materials to promote their products.

SME builders and Unite the union agree 3.1% pay rise over the next year

The Building and Allied Trades Joint Industrial Council (BATJIC) has agreed a one year deal involving a 3.1% pay rise to come into effect in June 2018. This follows from the successful conclusion of pay negotiations between the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), on behalf of SME construction employers, and Unite the union, on behalf of operatives, the FMB has said.

• BATJIC has agreed a one year deal involving a 3.1% pay rise over the next year;
• All apprentices and trainees will also benefit from a 3.1% pay increase;
• The adult general operatives’ rate increases by 29p per hour to £9.52;
• The NVQ3...

New CITB Chair must make Board more representative, says FMB

The new Chair of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) should make it his priority to reform the CITB Board so it is more representative of the whole construction sector, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Commenting on the appointment of Peter Lauener as the new CITB Chair, Brian Berry Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Peter Lauener will be leading the CITB at a crucial time for the construction industry. Skills shortages have never been so pronounced and with less than one year until Brexit, addressing...

Manufacturing production rises by 2.5 percent, according to the latest index

London, 11th April 2018 – Manufacturing production increased by 2.5 percent in the last month, according to the latest U.K. Manufacturing Production index. The index measures the change in the total inflation-adjusted value of output produced by U.K.\'s manufacturers.

Manufacturing accounts for approximately 80 per cent of overall Industrial Production and the reported increase in manufacturing production signifies increasing economic growth[1]. This expansion follows a trend of increasing demand over the last year, both domestic and export-driven.

According to the Bank of England, the sustained growth has resulted in manufacturers expanding their capacities to an extent not seen since 2007.[2] Manufactures are...

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) publishes Second Edition Building Information Modelling (BIM) Protocol

CIC has today published the highly anticipated BIM Protocol Second Edition; the original BIM Protocol was first commissioned by CIC in 2013 as a response to the UK Government BIM Strategy. Now that the UK Government’s BIM mandate is in force and BIM is widely used, the Second Edition of the Protocol has been produced to reflect current practices and standards regarding the use of BIM.

The Protocol, drafted by international construction law specialists...

GMB MAKES FOI DEMAND TO SCOTLAND YARD FOR INTERNAL REPORT INTO MET’S ROLE IN BLACKLISTING SCANDAL

3,213 secretly blacklisted construction workers and environmentalists deserve to know exactly what role the police played says GMB

GMB, the union for construction workers, has called on Scotland Yard to release its internal investigation into the secret blacklisting of 3,213 construction workers and environmentalist by household name companies including Carillion, Balfour Beatty, Costain, Kier, Laing O\'Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and Vinci.

Lawyers Leigh Day, acting for GMB, have filed a Freedom of Information request for the Met Police’s full internal investigation report, all emails relating to the report and details of overt and covert meetings between officers and members...

Secure quality with Universal Trade Frames

Spectus trade fabricator, Universal Trade Frames has been highlighting the importance of security for some time. Brian Kruger, Universal Trade Frames’ Managing Director, says: “Our customers know that security is a huge factor for contractors and homeowners and we are proud to have a range of products that have achieved Secured by Design accreditation, the flagship UK police initiative to help ‘design out’ crime through the use of high-quality, innovative products and processes.”

Universal Trade Frames has Secured by Design accreditation on its casement windows manufactured from both Spectus Elite 70 bevelled and Elite 70 ovolo systems. It also has the accreditation on Spectus Flush 70 PVC-U casement window, Eite 70 tilt and turn bevelled window, Elite 70 tilt and turn ovolo window, Spectus Elite 70 residential single door bevelled, Elite 70 residential single door ovolo, Elite 70 residential double door bevelled and Elite 70 residential double door ovolo. All products are also certified to PAS 24:2016 too, which can also be used to demonstrate compliance with Approved Document Q, BS 6375-1 for weathertightness and BS 6375-2 and BS EN 1191 for operation and strength testing.

Secured by Design is now widely recognising by professional audiences and increasingly by consumers, as a valuable mark of police preferred specification.

Fenetek and Exlabesa deliver for Starbucks

Fenetek is one of the North’s leading fabricators of high quality aluminium fenestration products to the commercial and domestic glazing industries. It recently demonstrated why it has achieved this status with the installation of the glazed curtain walling shopfront for the new Starbucks in Stockton on Tees.

The project requirements included curtain walling glazed with high performance solar control glazing and a custom designed “drive-thru” serving hatch incorporated into the build.

HURST INTRODUCES NEW PREMIUM GLASSES

Hurst Plastics is helping trade customers make the most of the thriving composite door market with the addition of its new Premium Glass range. Offering 11 stylish new glass designs, Hurst has doubled the number of glazing options available in its popular collection of composite doors.

The new range of triple glazed designs has been introduced to help installers provide an even greater choice for style-conscious homeowners. It includes both traditional and contemporary styles, which have been designed to maximise natural light and provide the ultimate finishing touch to a Hurst composite door.

Mark Atkinson, Hurst Plastics’ Sales Director...

RESIDENCE COLLECTION GETS A DEDICATED TRADE WEBSITE

The Residence Collection has just unveiled a dedicated new website for the trade at www.residencecollectiontrade.co.uk that’s been designed as a complete resource hub for the three in one system, which boasts shared profiles, beads and single length ordering.

R2, R7 and R9 all benefit from a dedicated landing platform on the new site showcasing design philosophies, performance, a clever interactive glazing bead designer, along with a wide range of hardware and ancillaries, including the deep, period-inspired Radlington Cill. There is also a colour selector that presents all of the unique and inspiring colour and woodgrain options that are available across The Residence Collection.

As you would expect from a truly unrivalled premium systems house, there are a wide range of marketing materials available for download or that can be ordered as part of a pack including brochures, case studies, wallcharts, door drops and a planning and conservation guide for R9. In addition, there is also a dedicated page on colour which includes dedicated colour guides by system, including wallcharts and visitors to the website

COLOURS, DESIGNS AND DELIVERY FROM RESIDOR IN JUST 5 DAYS

With an expanded door range, standard and bespoke colours and an on time, in full service promise in excess of 99%, along with online ordering, new trade partners are helping to fuel further success in Residor.

The impressive performance for Residor has also been bolstered by their unique £1,000 security guarantee, thanks to the specification of the 3 Star Ultion cylinder as standard. With a 3.6mm external door skin, this makes for one, if not the most secure GRP composite door in the UK at present, complying to the latest PAS 24 standards.

There a 9 distinct door designs both traditional and...

LEKA Systems adds value to fabricators’ portfolios

Fabricators looking to increase turnover should take a look at what LEKA products have to offer. That’s the message from Rhys Hoddinott Director of LEKA Systems. He comments: “The LEKA Orangery Roof and the LEKA Warm Roof are proving to be strong additions to fabricators’ portfolios. Their popularity means they’re a great way to get new installers through the door, which opens up opportunities to increase sales on existing products too. Plus, they’re easy to add to a fabrication set up and...

VEKA ‘joins forces’ with the Army Reserve; winning MoD award

Industry-leading systems supplier VEKA Group has been awarded a certificate for being an “armed-forces friendly” company.

The Bronze Armed Forces Covenant Award comes from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and is signed by the Secretary of State for Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff. It is presented to UK employers who have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and committed to being “armed-forces friendly and open to employing reservists, armed forces veterans (including the wounded, injured and sick), cadet instructors and military spouses/partners”.

By gaining the certificate, VEKA Group joins around 60 Lancashire companies, organisations and clubs who have signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

Paul Armstrong, Operations Director commented: “VEKA employs around 400 people from Burnley and surrounding areas and as a company we always strive to support and encourage staff at every level, whether it be professional training or personal development.

“We know that if VEKA staff are happy

NEW, ANTHRACITE GREY ROOFLINE SOFFITS FROM SUMMIT

Summit has added three new soffit boards to its increasingly popular, Anthracite Grey range of PVC fascia products.

The new board sizes – a vented soffit and two flat boards, 175mm and 225mm - have been introduced because of increasing trade demand for fascias that co-ordinate with PVC doors and window used in household refurbishment.

According to Summit, colour in construction is becoming more and more popular and the Anthracite Grey shade – RAL 7016 – is a now finding its way into new build and refurb work for householders where light coloured exterior renders are being used in...

The Smart Construction Solution to the Housing Crisis

It is no secret that the UK faces a severe shortage of homes, particularly in the social housing sector. The pressure on the housing supply comes at a time when the average age of the construction workforce is increasing, creating a potential time bomb that will play out over the next 10 years as the workforce shrinks by an estimated 25%.

There is a smart solution – the industry needs to embrace offsite forms of construction to increase the attractiveness of the industry to new entrants and to improve productivity to increase output with less labour. Offsite manufacture in a factory environment is by no means a new concept and the benefits are clear.

MTC SHOWCASES STEP-CHANGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE UK CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY

Last Thursday over 100 key stakeholders in the UK construction and infrastructure sector from industry, government, academia and research, came together at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry to get an insight into the future of construction and infrastructure in the UK.

The Working Together Transforming Construction event showcased technologies and processes that can drastically reduce hazards, improve quality, boost productivity, reduce waste and increase accuracy for those operating in the sector.

Robotic assembly, large volume metrology, wearables, smart tools and ergonomic improvements were demonstrated in the MTC’s state-of-the-art facility, designed to show how new technologies developed for other sectors can be applied to help bring about a step-change in the construction and infrastructure industry.

The MTC has been working with award-winning architects Bryden Wood and other stakeholders from across the industry to investigate how...

PatioMaster West Midlands opens for business

In-line sliding patio door specialist PatioMaster has announced that PatioMaster West Midlands has opened for business and will be fabricating market-leading doors for customers.

The new dealership is based in Telford and is no stranger to the Epwin Group because it has been an Epwin customer for over 20 years.

Mark Westbrook, Director of PatioMaster West Midlands, said: “The decision to join the PatioMaster network and manufacture PatioMaster doors was straightforward. We had been buying in the PatioMaster door for some years and we were fully aware that the product is the best in...

HOW CAN PRODUCTIVITY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY BE IMPROVED? LORDS LAUNCH NEW INQUIRY

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee today invites contributions to its new inquiry Off-site Manufacture for Construction.

The UK construction industry was worth nearly £100 billion to the UK economy in 2016. However, it suffers from poor productivity and has not experienced the improvements in productivity seen in other sectors.

Off-site manufacture for construction involves bringing together a range of construction processes, components, elements or modules in a factory before installation into their final location. It is believed that off-site manufacture could help to improve the productivity of the construction industry.

This inquiry will consider the potential benefits of...

Mercury Glazing showcases its credentials as a specialist fabricator

Established in 2002, Mercury Glazing Supplies Ltd has a renowned reputation for being one of the industry’s most reliable specialist fabricators of feature-rich PVC-u and aluminium products. The company’s expertise means it is often called upon to manufacture windows with complex design requirements. Chris Reeks, Mercury’s Sales and Marketing Director, explains: “Our customers can sometimes come up against the most demanding or sensitive applications and this is when working with a specialist fabricator really benefits. We understand the complexities involved and can deliver the products, however large or unusual, that our customers’ need.”

A perfect example of a sensitive application was evident in recent high-end application in regency Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Chris continues, “As part of a prestigious refurbishment project in Cheltenham we manufactured three very large vertical sliders, of which one was a dummy and two were opening. The windows needed arched heads to fit in with the existing architecture which we were able to offer. The design was further enhanced by the “floating” internal georgian bars to replicate the feature on the original timber sash windows. The result was stunning

Jon Vanstone joins Certass

Jon Vanstone has been appointed new Chair of Certass, the specialists in installer certification for the building fabrics industry.

Jon joins Certass with a wealth of industry knowledge and he holds several positions in trade bodies and associations. He is chair of the Trade Association Forum (TAF) and the Competent Persons Forum (CPF), Trustmark Director and RoofCert Delivery Director.

Jon says: “Certass as an organisation appealed to me because it champions the local installation companies that are dedicated to great workmanship and best practice. Going forward, we want to continue to promote members and grow our services to ensure that Certass membership...